Killing Opportunity Scholarships Is The Real Clunker

Last week, Congress rushed to infuse an additional $2 billion into the “Cash for Clunkers” program on the grounds that it is wildly popular. “I’d like to see that program extended…I hope we can get it done,” stated Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). “I think the last thing any politician wants to do is cut off opportunity for somebody who wants to get a rebate to buy a new automobile,” stated Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Durbin and LaHood were not alone in their sentiments. According to the Associated Press, Vice President Joe Biden said the program is an “unqualified success”:

I think it would be hard to tell…the thousands of people who have just traded in gas guzzlers for more efficient cars that this is having no impact.

If, as the “Clunkers” paradigm suggests, popularity is the metric by which success is determined, politicians should be scrambling to reauthorize the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program. Since 2004, more than four students have applied for each available scholarship, substantiating the popularity of the program.

Unfortunately, the popularity of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program – which provides scholarships of up to $7,500 for more than 1,700 low-income children in D.C. to attend a safe and effective private school of their choice – seemed to be of little concern to those same members who saw to create a nearly insurmountable hurdle to the program’s continuation. Senator Dick Durbin went out of his way to try to kill the $12 million scholarship program last year by inserting language into the Omnibus bill designed to phase-out the school vouchers.

But a newly released poll of D.C. residents reveals just how popular the scholarship program is to families:

More than seven out of ten registered voters in the District of Columbia support the federally funded DC Opportunity Scholarship program,

Seventy-four percent say they either “strongly favor” or “somewhat favor” the scholarship program, and

A full 79 percent of D.C. parents oppose ending the program.

If popularity is the metric for determining program continuation, members of Congress should certainly look to D.C. residents for guidance.

As our Heritage colleagues James Gattuso and Nick Loris point out however, “There is a difference between popularity and success.” In the case of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program, both popularity and success define the program. Students are safer and, in the case of those students who say in the program the longest, are reading up to two years ahead of their peers who remained in D.C. public schools.

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Since the "clunkers" program went into effect, car donations to our local Dallas Can Academy are down 30%. Old car donations are the dominant source of revenue for this program that assists local youth who have gotten into trouble to finish high school. This is probably a similar story for other charities with similar set-ups. Joe Biden's comment about it being an unqualified success are wrong – just ask the people directly affected by it.

The killing of this program is criminal. The Tick Turbins of the congress are the worst type of hypocrisy. And the very same people that are hurt by the killing of the program continue to vote for those who killed it. All of these geniuses send their own children to private schools, but then deny the same benefits to the citizens. Kind of reminds me of the denied amendment to require the congress to be participants in the sham health insurance program and the purchase of new luxury jets that the very same punks chided private company CEO's from using. Come to think of it – is there a segment of our society The One has not adversely affected yet ? Oh – yes; his only remaining constituency.

WHAT A SCAM! Now we learn that many of the "clunkers" are being SNUCK out the back door of the dealerships, (the same ones that Obama choose to allow to remain open), and are being sold to vehicle brokers. In turn, these borker are selling them to other dealers that resell them to the general public. Where do these resale profits go? TAKE A GUESS! To the Obama chosen dealers and to Obama. It's great that some of these "clunkers" are being reused, but the entire program is just another giant scam designed by the Dems and Obama. The really sad part is Congress just approved an addition 2 billon to keep this scam going. WHAT A SCAM!

Hurry up America and buy back your own cars for a mere $4, 500 each! You don't have a car? That's okay, you can buy someone else's, no choice, same price!

Now you get to add that to the projected Obama bailout of $23 trillion to just the financial industry and now you owe $80,000 each, but only if you are a Citizen! If you're Illegal, sorry you owe nothing, but you will probably get free medical care, but you won't get to pay for it, sorry again, have to be an American!

Makes us Americans sound kind of stupid doesn't it? I sure as hell hope we aren't! Do not allow the President, Congress, or your own States to dictate to you, Free American People, what to do! We are the ones who make the decisions, not them! They all work for us, and never forget that!

First of all, I'm not in favor of the Clunker program, nor am I a supporter of Obamination, but before you start firing shots in every direction, I would hope you have the facts to back it up. If you have, state them and we can all lead the impeachment march. This guy is dangerous, but you, sir, are undercutting our drive to uncover this imposter by not using the facts. The left will just use your words as an example of another angry (Mob), unhappy that the right is no longer in power.

I appauled that the President could give all of that money toward clunker vehicles, and deny my child a good education. It is really like a slap in my face, to have a scolarship given to my 4yr old and then taken away due Politics. It sure has NOTHING to do with they don't have the funds for the program. I don't believe how they were (PRIOR) to being elected to their seats, President Obama, Mayor Fenty, all for NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND,& PUT KIDS FIRST! I truly think they meant none of their kids left behind. At this moment I am still fighting to get my daughter back the scholarship she was given. THEY ARE LIKE HEARTLESS OR SOMETHING. I never in a million years could believe that Politics would play a part in getting a good education or not.WELL DON'T LEAVE MY CHILD BEHIND PLEASE. LATASHA B

I do not think the Obama team gave it some tought to the clunckers idea. How many people did they screwed. old car dealerships and salepeople, rebuilders of engines, Donation and all those that benefit from it, but most of all the people buying the new cars. if you save 4,500; you can continue to use the car you have, you keep the mechanic alive and you still donot have any payment (350+ mo.), you still keep the rental companies in business. Q. why do you want to pay 300+ for something you are destroying. do the math 300*12=3600 a year and you hardly have reduce the principal of the car, that means you can save that money for the used car, just in case it breaks down.

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